


Darcy Lewis & the Winter Soldier

by LadyKnightSkye



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Darcy Lewis, F/M, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 04:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11707140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyKnightSkye/pseuds/LadyKnightSkye
Summary: Drabble series about the continuing trials and tribulations of Darcy Lewis and her new "buddy" the Winter Soldier.Written for FYDL's Drabble-a-thon on tumblr. Will add drabbles as I write them either for the drabble-a-thon or my own amusement.





	1. Night Shift (62%)

**Author's Note:**

> First up, my drabble from Day 1 (prompt - 62%)

“Oh my freakin God!” Darcy all but screeched when she looked at the computer screen. Hours. She’d been sitting there for hours waiting for the freakin’ simulation to complete so that she could go home, but so far the thing was taking forever. It was at 60%, and it was ten PM. “Dammit.” 

She pulled out her phone and laid down on the ground with her coat as a pillow, deciding that she could at least trawl Facebook for interesting click bait if she was going to be forced to sit here for much longer. She was happily reading an article entitled “FOURTEEN THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TONY STARK” when she heard it. The creak of the glass door opening. 

The lab Jane inhabited nowadays was a big upgrade from her old ones – being funded by Stark Industries was a plus – but the glass doors that separated her lab from the ones on the other side of the building squeaked like hell when opened. There was no way to keep it from doing so, and in the late night quiet the sound was a shriek. She was tempted to get up and see who it was, but a buried primal instinct told her to stay right where she was. Turned out, it paid to listen to one’s instincts. She turned onto her belly, and peered out across the lab floor.

Heavy black boots came into view, and Darcy scooted herself into the foot well of the desk. She tried to keep her breathing quiet, and tried not to panic. She pulled her trusty Taser from her pocket, and waited patiently for her opportunity. The heavy boots turned into powerful legs, and then an intimidating torso, and finally she could see the masked face. He apparently didn’t see her in the darkened lab – she had cut the lights and his hair was in his eyes. He stopped in front of her computer, and then looked to his left and right. Finally, he looked down, and Darcy struck. 

(There wasn’t supposed to be anyone in the lab, and the Soldier was only there on a calibration mission. His senses were still somewhat numbed by his post-thaw “therapies” and sluggishness. Or at least, that would be the justification HYDRA would cling to rather than admit the truth.)

The contacts of her Taser delivered enough juice to drop the man, and Darcy quickly darted out to grab the heaviest piece of equipment she could find. With all of her might she whacked him against the skull. Assured that he wasn’t going anywhere fast, she called Jane. Jane called Thor. Thor arrived, and called SHIELD because the guy had woken up and actually put up a fight. SHIELD arrived, and by that point Darcy was done. Just done. 

She went back to her computer to check the progress of the damn simulation.

62%

The tirade she went on included the throwing of various pieces of non-essential equipment and papers. It was so violent and unexpected that the SHIELD Agents and Thor just watched. One leaned over to the other to say, “Shit, no wonder she was able to take the Winter Soldier.”


	2. Please Don't Leave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy discovers the Winter Soldier's separation anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 4 - Separation

Darcy stared down at the man in the bed with a sigh. It had been a week since the incident in Jane’s lab where she’d clocked the Winter Soldier over the head with a computer monitor, but she’d not been able to escape him. When he’d woken from his bout with Thor, he’d insisted that he would go with SHIELD quietly if she went with him. Then, he’d insisted that he would submit to being imprisoned quietly if she was with him. Then, he’d insisted that he would go to sleep quietly if she would stay the night with him. 

And every time he turned big ole puppy dog eyes on her, and she caved. Every time. 

The one time she’d tried to leave on that second day had resulted in the mother of all tantrums. He’d screamed, thrown himself against the walls of his cell – they tried sedating him, but a normal human dose had yielded no results. He kept raging, and it was one of the older female agents that put a name to what she was seeing. “Assistant Director Hill . . . ma’am . . . I swear he looks like he’s having separation anxiety. He was perfectly calm until Miss Lewis left.”

So SHEILD had sent out their jackbooted thugs and rounded up Darcy, and when she’d returned to that cell she’d stomped right up to the raging Winter Soldier in her fuzzy bunny pajama pants and blue cami. “CALM. YOUR. TITS.”

The Winter Soldier had responded by immediately stopping his tirade and catching her up in an embrace that was only nominally a hug. Well, it was a hug insofar as it involved the wrapping of appendages around her, but he also hoisted her into the air. She looked up at the security camera in the corner with murder on her face as she allowed him to bring her back to the bed. He sat down, and cuddled her on his lap. Since then, she didn’t even try to leave, and in return SHIELD had moved the pair into an apartment in Stark Tower on a secured floor. 

The apartment had all the creature comforts plus a few that she hadn’t even known existed. The AI that ran the tower was a hoot and a half, and she had every want catered to. Even the fact that she couldn’t leave was tempered by the fact that she was able to Netflix all day. The Winter Soldier stayed with her the entire time, but he was mostly silent. He binge watched _Star Trek, Firefly,_ and _Friends_ with no complaint. He ate everything Darcy gave him with no complaint, and he only insisted on sleeping in the same room. She was getting used to it now, especially since he slept on top of the covers and always fully clothed. 

“Why did you pick me to get attached to?” she wondered out loud. 

His voice was rusty, and it was the first time she’d ever heard him speak aside from his roars. “Because I remembered you when I woke up.”

She startled a bit, not realizing that he was awake. “Oh.” Because really, what else do you say to that?

“Please don’t leave me.” 

She sighed, because he sounded so lost. “I won’t.”


	3. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Creed_88 for pointing out how Darcy would totes become a legend.

The first boundary that had to be established was that the Winter Soldier could not come in the bathroom with her. Darcy was adamant that he gave her at least some privacy. She was well aware that he didn’t like it when she wasn’t there, but she consoled him by pointing out that he could sit outside the door. She also promised that while he bathed and used the restroom she would stay in the bedroom. 

The second was that while she was okay with SHIELD and Stark recording their actions in the living room and kitchen, but when Jarvis informed her that she might not want to change clothing in the bedroom one morning while the Winter Soldier was showering she saw red. This prompted a furious call that went nowhere. So, being ever eager to please Darcy, the Winter Soldier had helpfully broken them out of STARK Tower. Darcy would forever savor the looks on the agents of SHIELD who witnessed her stomping through the foyer of the Triskelion with her pet assassin at her heels. 

(Later, she would find out that she had become a legend in the hallways of SHIELD for being the most badass civilian ever. Not only had she tased the God of Thunder, she had defeated and then tamed the world’s deadliest assassin. In years to come she would become the gold standard of SHIELD agents – a memetic goddess to live up to.)

Director Fury himself had met her and the Winter Soldier, and he had taken her demands in stride. He even apologized, but pointed out that they had bugged the bedroom in order to catch anything said in there. They needed intelligence. Darcy had opened her mouth to blast him when the Soldier merely said, “Then ask.”

Thus, they were forgiven their impromptu visit in exchange for all the intel he could remember. Which turned out to be a lot yet not enough – it was fragmentary, and he admitted that his memories were fragmented and broken. A therapist was consulted, and he was advised to keep a notebook to catalog memories and thoughts. When they returned to Stark Tower, it was with the admonition to not leave without permission again. Another boundary established.

Once JARVIS had confirmed that surveillance had been lifted for the entire apartment, Darcy breathed a little easier. “You know, I can’t keep calling you Winter Soldier. Do you remember another name?”

He shook his head. She smiled. “Then let’s pick one. How about . . . Harry?”

He shook his head again. “Ron?” 

Another head shake. “Okay, just nod when I have one you like. Severus? Draco? Lucius?”

“Are these from those Harry Potter movies you like?”

“Yes, does that bother you?”

“. . . No.”

“Okay then. Uh, Albus? Peter? Sirius? Remus? James?” She stopped listing names when he nodded vigorously. “James? You like James?”

He winced a bit. “. . . It’s familiar.”

“Okay, then, James?” she asked. He nodded. “Is it okay for me to tell SHIELD to call you that?”

He shook his head. “. . . I’m only James for you.”

Another boundary.


	4. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy discovers a little something about the Winter Soldier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written purely for pleasure, and some story purposes down the line.

The Winter Soldier loved cookies. It was something that Darcy had honestly never thought she’d learn, but yeah, he loved cookies. After a near solid two weeks of watching Netflix all day, Darcy had been starting to feel her captivity. She knew that any outing had to pre-approved by SHIELD, so it wouldn’t help her immediate need to do something other than lay on the couch. She’d gone into the fully stocked kitchen and decided it was time to bake. 

She made homemade bread, cupcakes, and chocolate chip cookies. She ended up making an absolute ton of cookies – at least ten dozen. James had sat with her of course, and he’d taken to eating the cookies almost as soon as they were out of the oven. The first batch had disappeared as she mixed up the second, and Darcy had turned to find him eating the frankly too-hot treats by the handfuls. She’d turned around ready to smack him with her spoon, but laughed instead at the sight. His stubbly cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk’s, and his hands were full of more cookies. The cookies themselves were disintegrating in his hands because they hadn’t had time to set yet, but he didn’t seem to care. He froze for a moment, and blushed, but she gestured him to keep eating. 

For the next several hours she made batch after batch of cookies. It hurt her a bit, to see how much pleasure he was gaining from something as simple as a warm cookie. “What did they do to you?” she asked, and then regretted saying anything. His eyes had gone from dancing merriment to shuttered wariness. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

“No,” he said softly, “it’s just that I don’t want to . . . dirty this up. I don’t want this . . . if it is a dream I don’t. –“

“This isn’t a dream,” Darcy finally said, reaching out to grasp his hand. “And telling me about before won’t . . . dirty me up. I wanna know so that I can help you.”

He reached out, and cupped her cheek with his metal hand. “You help me by being with me.”

Darcy felt her eyes grow wet. “For the world’s deadliest assassin, you sure are sweet.”

His thumb brushed her cheek. “I don’t want to tell you. Just know, I didn’t do any of it because I wanted to. They . . . made me think it was alright, but it wasn’t.”

“They tortured you didn’t they?” He didn’t answer verbally, but his flinch was answer enough. Heedless of the cookie dough and flour staining her apron, she walked around the island to enfold him in a hug. “Can you . . . they said something about you seeing someone after that psych eval they gave you. Could you do that? If you won’t talk to me?”

He nodded, and then held her for a few moments more. She smiled, and snuggled with her pet assassin until the timer dinged.


	5. Reese's Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winter Soldier makes a request of the Black Widow.

James stared at the woman across from him with a blank expression. Darcy had requested that he speak to someone about his “trauma” as she called it, and he did admit that he had been having nightmares lately. They had started not long after he’d admitted to Darcy that he thought this was all a dream. He dreamed in cryo, though of what he didn’t remember. He just remembered he did it. 

“Soldier,” the woman greeted in a husky voice. 

“Agent Romanoff.” He inclined his head. He had inquired after her, remembering her from one of the briefs he’d been given. She was a known threat to HYDRA, and they’d informed him of her. 

“What do you need from me? I’m not exactly a therapist.” She was examining him with an eagle eye. 

“I don’t need a therapist.” He gestured to the stun baton sitting on the table. She frowned. “I requested you to have that because I need you to help me with something.”

He was sure that other people in other places and situations might have found the look on her face comical. “What the hell?” she asked. “You want me to use it on you or something?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” she asked, recovering some of her aplomb.

“I need you to help me circumvent the programming in my head.”

“Using the stun baton?” she said, giving him an appalled look. “No. We’re not doing it that way.”

“That’s how they put it in there,” he growled.

“Yeah, but its not the only way to train you, which is what you’re talking about,” she replied. She whipped out her phone, and pressed a couple buttons. Putting it to her ear, she held out a hand to him. “Hello? Darcy Lewis?”

He could hear Darcy almost perfectly. “Yes? Who’s this?”

“Hi, I’m Agent Natasha Romanoff. I was just wondering, what are the Winter Soldier’s favorite foods? Or candy?”

“Uh, well, Ja- I mean, the Winter Soldier likes Reese’s Pieces. A lot. And chocolate chip cookies.”

“Thank you, Ms. Lewis. I’ll be returning your assassin to you in a couple of hours.” She hung up, walked to the door of the “office” – he was well aware it was merely a well-dressed interrogation room and someone was looking in through the two-way mirror. “Hey, Steve, can you run down to the commissary and grab me a couple of bags of Reese’s Pieces? And maybe a thing of Chips Ahoy? Thanks, babe.”

Ten minutes later, the Soldier finally saw the man she had spoken to. He was a big blond guy, and he was oddly familiar. James squinted at him, but the man studiously ignored looking at him. He delivered the requested candy and cookies, turned, and left. Romanoff nodded, and then smiled at James. “Let’s begin.”


	6. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve finally gets the hug he's been waiting 70 years for.

A week had passed since James’s first session with Agent Romanoff. He’d finally been able to reveal the entirety of his trigger word sequence, and she had begun working on a way to redirect those words so that he wasn’t a general purpose tool. However, something from that first day continued to bother James. 

Romanoff’s man.

He’d not missed the way the blond man had looked at the woman, nor the way she almost imperceptibly softened for him. It was as if she was trying to hide her fangs just a little, wanted to make the other man feel more at ease in her presence. So, here on this bright and beautiful Monday morning, James decide to beard the Widow. “Who is he?”

She looked up from the massive bowl of Reese’s Pieces she was busy filling in anticipation of their session. “Who?”

He gave her a droll look. “Your babe?”

“He’s not mine,” she said softly, dangerously. “I just call him babe to tease him about his gullibility.”

“Quit stalling,” James said. “Who is he?”

Agent Romanoff had already been tensing up, but now she was full on in her protective mode. As much as she tried to deny it, the Widow considered the blond man hers. “Why do you want to know?”

James took a deep breath, realizing that the only way she was going to give up the information he wanted was to be as candid as possible. “I think . . . I knew him. Somewhere. I know him, but I don’t.”

She froze, her eyes flicking to the two way. Then she nodded. She rose gracefully, pushing the bowl towards the middle of the table. She opened the door and said softly, “Steve.”

The man’s voice was a low rumble. “ . . . Fury won’t like it.”

“Since when have you cared about Fury’s opinion?”

“Since he pointed out that I could accidentally set him off in a way that could set back his recovery.” There was pure agony in his voice.

Romanoff rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and did you hear him just now? He’s asking for you. Now get your star-spangled butt in here and say hi.”

Something about the insult struck a chord, but the memory was too illusive to latch onto. Instead, he stood as the man finally entered the room. He was big, blond, blue-eyed, and taller than James by a few inches. However, that familiarity insisted that he was used to looking down at the man. “. . . Shouldn’t you be smaller?” he finally asked aloud.

For reasons unknown to him, the man threw back his head and laughed. When he looked back, his eyes were shining with tears. “Yeah, I used to be smaller, once upon a time.”

James cocked his head. “I know you.”

The man opened his mouth, and then closed it. Romanoff glanced between them, and placed a hand on the man’s arm. “Once upon a time, he was your friend,” she finally said, “I was too. I know you only vaguely remember Red Room, but you trained me.”

James nodded, realizing that was the reason why he never really felt uncomfortable with Agent Romanoff. Being around anyone else – except Darcy - was a delicate balance of paranoia and vigilance. “What’s your name?” he finally asked. 

“Steve Rogers,” the blond answered softly. “Do you remember your name yet?”

He shook his head. “Not really . . .” He glanced around, and then asked, “Was my name . . . Was it James?”

Both of them startled, but Steve grinned while Agent Romanoff nodded. “Do you want to know your full name?” she asked.

“No,” he finally said, a headache beginning to press on his temple. “I’m just glad to know I was right.”

Romanoff huffed, and then gestured to the table. “Shall we?”

Steve turned to exit the room, but James stopped him. “Wait.”

The blond looked back at him. “Stay. I think . . . I want to modify our original plan . . . Natasha. You, Steve, and Darcy are to be my handlers.”

Her eyes widened. “You sure?”

“Yes. I trust the three of you.”

“That’s a lot of trust to place in people you barely remember,” she murmured, while Steve looked like he was again on the verge of tears. James finally realized the reason the man had been so cold that first day – if Steve had allowed himself to interact with James, he would have done something that was apparently ill-advised. James was willing to bet that he was once a very dear friend to Steve Rogers.

In answer to the Widow’s veiled inquiry he said, “I trusted Darcy simply because she was the first person I remembered fully. All she did to gain my trust was to be nice to me and not treat me as a threat. I . . . I can trust the two of you.”

He could see the moment that Steve broke. The big man lunged forwards, but instead of tensing up at the obvious threat, James opened his arms wide. He had done the exact same thing a time or two to Darcy when he accidentally woke her up with one of his nightmares. The impact of Steve’s body against his caused him to stagger back a step or two, but the fierce hug was worth it. James didn’t even realize how much he needed it until he felt the other man’s arms around him. 

Neither of them noticed Natasha’s misty smile.

~~  
“You summoned me Captain Fury?”

Nicholas Fury turned to the brunette spitfire who was striding into the interrogation room antechamber he currently lounged in. Darcy Lewis was a Grade-A PIMA, but Fury was enough of man to admit that if he wasn’t married to his job – and had to compete with one scary-ass-muthafucker known as the Winter Soldier – he’d be asking her out. She had the right combination of guts, smarts, and beauty for him, but alas, he was already married and she was the Winter Soldier’s woman. Wasn’t no man gonna compete with old Jamey the Soldier on the other side of the two-way mirror. “I always wondered what it would be like to summon a demon.”

She sneered at him good-naturedly, and then glanced through the glass. She froze, and he couldn’t help the smirk that curled across his face. Fury knew that she was transfixed by the scene in the interrogation room. Who wouldn’t be? It wasn’t everyday one watched the Black Widow, the Winter Soldier, and Captain America competing to see who could catch the most Reese’s Pieces in their mouth. So far it had been evenly neck and neck between the three – all of them had prodigious hand-eye coordination, but the Soldier and the Widow were slowly outpacing the Captain. 

Lewis began to laugh, and Fury decided that the three on the other side of the glass had been lolly-gagging long enough. He stood and tapped on the glass, causing three heads to whip around. All three tensed, and Fury realized that it was probably a good thing none of them were armed, or else he might be facing two guns and a shield. He opened the door, and poked his head in. “You three done in here? Miss Lewis is here to pick up her freshly laundered assassin.”

“Hey,” Lewis snapped, “I’m the wise ass around here.” She peeked her head in, and smiled. “Heya, time to go. I’m making chicken and gnocchi.”

Romanoff laughed. “Alright, see you tomorrow Soldier.”

The Winter Soldier grinned, and said, “See you later, Steve, Natasha.”

“Bye James,” they chorused, looking impish in the face of Lewis’s dawning delight. 

“So, you’re James now,” Fury murmured.

The Soldier turned a hard look to him. “Only to my friends.”

“Hey, Lewis,” Romanoff called.

“Yeah?”

“If the Soldier ever asks for a mission, give him one.”

Lewis blinked in confusion, but the Soldier’s hard eyes turned to Romanoff. Then he took Lewis’s hand. The woman glanced between everyone, but only said, “Okay. Sure.”

Fury said nothing, watching the couple as they left. Romanogers (as he privately thought of them since they were rarely apart anymore) also left, but they took the opposite door. He thought back on the Soldier, and shook his head.

Fury was more of a friend than the Winter Soldier could know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for all of you wondering about why Steve didn't interact with Bucky, in my head Steve woulda freakin' jumped the guy for a hug, and then there would have been a fight because Bucky would have freaked out. Contrary to popular belief, Steve does have some sense of self-preservation. 
> 
> But thank you for all of the comments and kudos! I appreciate it all!


	7. Reprogrammed (Dangerous Territory)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her one chance is a victim of torture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Day 10 of the FYDL Drabblethon.

The sound of Darcy’s ragged breaths were the only thing that echoed through the apartment. The HYDRA agents that surrounded them all had weapons leveled at her, and James was being restrained by the big guys. The one who the others called Rumlow had led the incursion into their apartment. When Darcy had frantically called to JARVIS the AI had not responded. Tony Stark was MIA as was Pepper Potts, Bruce was off somewhere visiting his girlfriend, and Captain America was in Washington. She and James were the only occupants of the Tower, and these mooks had made it in by posing as SHIELD agents. 

When she said as much, the one called Rumlow laughed. “Honey, we didn’t pose. We are SHIELD agents.”

That had made her blanch. “I will say, I’m a bit surprised,” the thug went on, “I didn’t think the Winter Soldier would really be held docile by us putting a gun to your head.”

Darcy’s eyes slid to James. His face was blank, but his eyes were glassy and his pupils blown wide. His skin was clammy white, and she could even see veins beneath his skin. He was afraid, and his terror drove hers. “What are you going to do to us?”

“Now, we’re going to do what we have to,” another masculine voice said. In strode a familiar red-headed gentleman.

“But you’re . . . Alexander Pierce! You’re the head of the World Security Council!” Darcy cried out. “The fuck!”

He gave her a false smile, and a nod. “I see you know me,” he said calmly. “And I know who you are. Darcy Lewis, the woman who felled and tamed the Winter Soldier. You’ve had your fun, now I need the Soldier back.”

“You bastard!” she shouted. “You’re one of the fuckers who tortured him! You sonsabitches!”

The thug holding her reached out and slapped her. “Show some respect.”

“Now, we don’t need any of that,” Pierce said. “You’ll get to have your fun with Ms. Lewis soon enough.”

Darcy felt her blood run cold. She knew that she was in dangerous territory here, but damn. Damn. Damn. She had already seen the one guy fingering his knife, and Rumlow had licked his lips while eyeing her breasts. In her political science studies she’d done enough reading to know about the sick things that could happen to women in times of war. And from the sounds of the monologue Pierce had just lapsed into for whose benefit she didn’t know, that’s what he believed they were waging. Or winning. Or something. The point being, Darcy realized damn well that her only chance of getting out of here was a traumatized victim of torture. 

And then things got worse.

Taking a red notebook from one of the mooks, Pierce began speaking in Russian. The words were delivered slowly, deliberately, and with relish. James struggled at first, but what ever bindings they were using were keeping him in line. Darcy whispered, “James.”

But she could tell that James wasn’t there anymore. The man who had revealed a love of cookies and fondness for science fiction movies was gone. Instead, there was only the Winter Soldier. She felt tears slide down her cheeks, despair closing her throat. “James.”

Pierce was looking smug as he addressed the Soldier, gesturing for his restraints to be removed. “Good evening, Soldier.”

However, his look quickly turned to one of astonishment as the Soldier faced Darcy. “Ready to comply.”

“What?” she asked softly.

“Ready to comply.” The Winter Soldier’s blank eyes bored into hers. “Awaiting orders.”

Darcy lost all ability to breathe. Pierce looked apoplectic. “What is going on? Soldier, I am your commander for this mission!”

Those eyes turned deadly, and they turned on Pierce. “My commander is Darcy Lewis. My Handler is Darcy Lewis.”

That’s when it hit her. _The sessions with Agent Romanoff_. What had the woman told her? “ _If he asks for a mission, give him one._ ” At the time the words of advice had seemed odd seeing as she had been picking him up after a session and watching him, Romanoff, and Captain America playing with candy, but now, it made perfect sense. “Soldier,” she croaked, “get me out of here safely, with minimal casualties.”

He turned fluidly, with all the deadly grace of a big cat. He disarmed one of the thugs, and proceeded to put the royal smack down on Rumlow and his merry band of ne’er do wells. Pierce didn’t even try to put up a fight, and stepped back out of the room as James came back for Darcy. He gathered her up and escaped the building. 

~~

The sun rose and Darcy was cuddled up against the Winter Soldier. However, this time she wasn’t nervous or afraid. “You had Romanoff help you circumvent the programming.”

“Yes,” he answered. She smiled, and the Winter Soldier felt James rise up a little bit more. He could not fight his trigger words, and would lose out to the Soldier, but his programming had been predicated on someone without memories. The Soldier was an asset, a tool, a weapon who had no context, no real morality. If his handler told him it was the right thing to do, then that was that. Underneath the Soldier had always been a man, just a man with no context outside of the lies fed to him by HYDRA. He had tweaked it, moved it around with the help of Agent Romanoff so that he wasn’t just anyone’s tool. He was Darcy’s tool, because James was okay with that. Darcy wouldn’t force him to murder anyone. She wouldn’t let him become a monster again. She was kind and gentle, but also saucy and firm. For three months she’d been the constant in his life that had kept him sane. She wasn’t afraid of the Soldier, nor did she pity him and make excuses. She accepted him with his nightmares, his past, his faults.

And he loved her for it.


	8. Shots Fired (Gunshot)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy realizes something.

It hit her like a gunshot the morning they woke up in a cheap motel outside of Philly. The realization was so sharp and piercing that Darcy gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she watched James bolt upright at the sound. “I’m sorry,” she gasped out, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice husky from sleep. 

“I . . . Well . . .” She took a deep, shaky breath as she sat up from where she had been laying. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulder, and she didn’t move as James brushed several strands of it from her face. “I love you.”

He froze, his eyes starting to look wet. “You love me?” he repeated.

“Yeah,” she admitted, her own voice and eyes turning watery. “I mean, I think I started to fall in love with you the day I made you cookies, and then you started coming out of your shell, and you were a smartass and sweet and everything I’ve ever dreamed of, and I – I love you. I don’t care that you’ve killed people, because I know that wasn’t you – that wasn’t James or even the Winter Soldier either, it was HYDRA and Pierce and I don’t care that you’re dangerous because God, the day before yesterday you said that I was your commander and handler so you’ll never harm me on purpose, and I can live with that because if it means that I can keep you, then I can deal.”

James cupped her face. “Good,” he said, some of that ephemeral thing that made him James coming back out, “because I love you too.”

Then, Darcy was crying but it was a good crying, and James was wiping all her tears away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throwing this up here since I haven't updated in a little while. The last couple of drabbles will be posted as they come to me.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, check me out on Tumblr! I go by LadyKnightSkye there too!


End file.
